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This essay was prompted by the question of how Haṭhayoga, literally 'the Yoga of force', acquired its name. Many Indian and Western scholars have understood the 'force' of Haṭhayoga to refer to the effort required to practice it. Inherent in this understanding is the assumption that Haṭhayoga techniques such as prāṇāyāma are strenuous and may even cause pain. Others eschew the notion of force altogether and favor the so-called 'esoteric' definition of Haṭhayoga and moon in the body). This essay examines these interpretations in light of definitions of haṭhayoga and the adverbial uses of haṭha in Sanskrit Yoga texts that predate the fifteenth-century Haṭhapradīpikā
Descrition from citation: "In the late nineteenth and twentieth century, prominent Indian religious leaders developed systems of Yoga based on Patajalis A gayoga and called them Rjayoga. They have promoted the Yogastra as the most authoritative source on Rjayoga. In contrast to this, there are modern Indian systems of Rjayoga which have very little to do with Ptajalayoga."
In the late nineteenth and twentieth century, prominent Indian religiousleaders such as Svåm= Vivekånanda and Svåm= Çivånanda developed
systems of Yoga based on Patañjali’s A‚†å gayoga and called them Råjayoga. They have promoted the Yogas¨tra as the most authoritative source
on Råjayoga. In contrast to this, there are modern Indian systems of Råjayoga which have very little to do with Påtañjalayoga, such as the one taught
globally by the Brahma Kumaris. It is generally accepted that Råjayoga
refers to types of Yoga which are based more on meditation than physical
techniques such as postures (åsana), yet very little research has been done
to explain why there are variations between modern systems of Råjayoga.
Also, the term “råjayoga” (literally, “king-yoga”) implies superiority,
usually, over Ha†hayoga, but this raises the question of whether there
was ever a justifiable basis for this claim of superiority, which I address
here through examining the history of Råjayoga.
The history of the term “råjayoga” reveals that it did not derive from
Påtañjalayoga. Indeed, it was not until the sixteenth century that this term
was used in a commentary on the Yogas¨tra. The earliest definition of
Råjayoga is found in the twelfth century, Çaiva Yoga text called the
Amanaska, which proclaimed Råjayoga to be superior to all other Yogas
and soteriologies prevalent in India at that time. From the twelfth to the
fifteenth centuries, Råjayoga was mainly used as a synonym for samådhi,
yet after the sixteenth century, the textual evidence reveals many attempts
to reinterpret the name and connect it with different systems of Yoga. This calls into question the presumption that a Yoga tradition’s survival
depends on its success at faithfully preserving ancient teachings. In fact,
the prominence of Råjayoga and even the Yogas¨tra in the twentieth
century is more a consequence of the role they have played in sanctioning
innovation and in promoting the efficacy of meditation within the competitive environment of Hinduism’s diverse soteriological practices